I was interested to read Simon Burnton’s article about the failure to find a solution to the problem of time-wasting in football (For 140 years time-wasting has afflicted football and there is still no solution, 17 April). There is a straightforward solution that would kill time-wasting (or would nullify its intended effect) at a stroke. It is based on, and extends, the system used in rugby union.
1) We decide on how much playing time supporters are willing to pay to see. Based on figures in Simon’s article, 30 minutes per half feels generous. 2) Stadium clocks are set to count down from 30 minutes at the start of each half. 3) The clock is controlled by an off-pitch official and is stopped whenever there is a break in play. This will include throw-ins, goal kicks, corners, penalties, offsides, fouls, injury treatment, VAR, substitutions etc. 4) The clock is restarted when play is resumed. 5) The game ends after the clock reaches zero, but not in an abrupt manner. It could require the ball to go dead, but not as a result of a foul by the team who are leading (or either team if they are drawing).
